Fortnite: The Novel
by quesopopcorn
Summary: This is a story about Shelly, a default, exploring Fortnite. Even though she’s a default, she is an excellent fighter and a deadly opponent. Shelly meets many people while exploring. She also discovers many secrets, and even a romance. FYI, this story is set in Season 6, any “secrets” are fictional and not actually in the game.
1. Chapter 1: Intro

A scream startled Shelly awake. She quickly leapt to her feet and yanked off her striped blanket. She grabbed her shotgun and held it close, imagining danger outside. It was only when she looked out the window she noticed that no one was in trouble. She saw the neighbor's kids playing impulse dodgeball, throwing impulse and shockwave grenades at each other, sending them both flying through the air, screaming with delight. Shelly sighed and smiled as she drew back her curtains. She then collapsed on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Closing her eyes, she took a breath and thought about her life so far. Her parents had bid her farewell a couple of years ago, as she turned twenty. Hopping in her quad-crasher, Shelly drove off, to start her own life. She already had her eyes on a nice house, in Salty Springs. It was much smaller than Pleasant Park, but she appreciated the coziness. As a plus, it was right next to the gas station, where Shelly worked as a cashier, ATK and quad-crasher technician, and a certified "RPG vending machine un-jammer". Now, you may be thinking "RPG vending machine!? What crazy world does she live in?! Gosh golly, think of the children!" Well, Shelly lives on Fortnite Island. Many, many years ago, the island was transformed by something call "Battle Royale". It was basically a 100 person PVP death-match. They would all drop onto the island, out of a blue bus-hot air balloon combo called the Battle Bus, find weapons, and kill everyone. The strangest part of this "Battle Royale" (what, there's more!?) was that everyone else not participating would not even be on the island. It seems that there was an exact duplicate of Fortnite Island, except completely uninhabited. Adding to that, once you die in "Battle Royale", you drop all your loot and have two options: you can either watch the person who killed you to the very end, or you can exit, and respawn an the inhabited Fortnite Island. Now you also may be wondering "If everyone dies, then what happens when there's only one person left?" Well, my good sir or madam, if you win the match the you get a "Victory Royale". You don't get anything from it, except for major bragging rights. Now, back to the story. There were two types of people on this island, the "try-hards" and the "lives" (weird but true). The try-hards were those who lived for "Battle Royale", and the lives were those who, well, just lived. Shelly was sort of a try-hard, but she also enjoyed just living. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly rose from her bed, almost ready to start the day.


	2. Chapter 2: To The Lobby

Shelly brushed her teeth and pulled back her dark hair into a low ponytail. Then she carefully chose an outfit, even though she only had one. She didn't have enough V-bucks (the currency on the island) to buy anything. She was saving up to buy something, special, she just didn't know what. Shelly shambled down the stairs, made some tomato toast with eggs, and plopped down in a chair to watch the news. There wasn't anything new, just more stories about Drift, one of the island's residents. He had mysteriously fell out of the sky, in a rift. Back when he was found, scientists had spent all their time studying him and the rifts. Drift said that he came form a place called California, no one knew what that place was. Now, rifts were deemed to be an exclusive way of transportation and now were used to quickly navigate the island. As for Drift, he was made a minor celebrity. Shelly sighed again as she watched the tv. She hated to admit it, but she had a crush on Drift. She told herself that it made sense, after all, he was by all means attractive. Blond hair (a rarity), a toned body, and an amazing sense of humor made him the apple of Shelly's metaphorical eye. Not only that, but he was also extremely kind. When he wasn't endorsing some cheesy product or on a talk show, he was donating mes kits to hospitals. Shelly knew that she would probably never meet him, yet she yearned for company. She checked the clock and slid out the door, taking a short walk to her work.

"Morning Shelly" greeted her boss, Infiltrator.

"Good morning!" Shelly cheerfully replied. Seeing Drift again had improved her mood. Just as she settled in behind the counter, the bell rang and someone yelled,

"Hey Shelly!" It was her best friend, Bunny Brawler. Bunny had known her ever since they were in Pleasant Park, and by happy coincidence, they had both moved to Salty Springs. Following behind Bunny was her fiance, Rabbit Raider. Shelly had always thought he was a bit crazy, but Bunny loved him, as he did her, so Shelly stayed positive.

"Bunny! Hi! How ya doing?" Shelly asked.

"Oh, just the same old wedding planning, but you'll never believe what we found at the mall!" gushed Bunny. She held up her phone, revealing a beautiful yellow sleeveless dress.

"Wow, that's so gorgeous! Is that for you?" said Shelly, barely containing her excitement.

"No silly, it's for you!"

Bunny chose Shelly to be her maid of honor, and it seemed like Bunny had been doing some dress shopping.

"Awesome! So what can I do for the happy couple-to-be?"

"Well we need an oil change for our ATK, and Bunny was wondering if you wanted to play some duos" responded Rabbit Raider.

"Wow, I haven't played duos in a while. You know what, sure. I'll go change your oil first" answered Shelly, getting out form behind the counter.

Bunny happily chirped "Great! Off to the lobby!"


	3. Chapter 3: Spawn Island

**Thank you the people who reviewed this story! If you read this, then review it! Love the story? Review it! Hate this story so much that you would rather fall off a cliff than read it? Review it an say what you don't like! Having a bad day? Read and review this story (and maybe go look up some cute pictures)! My point is, reviews are awesome, no matter if they're negative or positive. So enjoy the story and (let's say it all together) review it! Back to the story.**

About 30 minutes later...

Shelly and Bunny appeared on "Spawn Island". As you can tell by the name, Spawn Island is where everyone starts out before "Battle Royale". You can shoot and pickaxe (verb, to whack with a pickaxe) others, but you can't kill them, at least not until it starts. Shelly and Bunny strolled around the island, meeting others and even dancing with them. Did I mention that dancing, or emoting is huge on Fortnite Island? Well, it is. It's kind of confusing why you would dance and become friendly with people you're going to kill eventually, but at least you won't actually be ending their life. After practicing their aim and destroying a bunch of buildings, they ran over to the tires and started bouncing around. They met some cool people, including a fully-leveled up Ragnarok, A little while later, the two girls started chatting with a another group of duos.

"So how many wins do all you guys have?" asked Bunny and Shelly.

"We have 23 duo wins." replied Vertex and Shade.

"I think we have around 20." answered DJ Yonder and Raptor.

"And we just got our 30th!" chimed in Arachne and Skull Ranger.

"Nice!" said Bunny, starting to do Infinite Dab.

Everyone started emoting (which is the same thing as dancing), mainly doing Hot Marat. It was really popular, and you could often find circles of people doing it. Shelly did Hot Marat, but then switched to her favorite dance of all time: Orange Justice. Bunny grinned and started doing it too. Soon, more people were joining in, creating an Orange Justice mob. Then the Battle Bus beeped, which was the signal to board. Shelly and Bunny took a seat near the back, closest to the back door so they could jump out quicker. They has already checked the mini-map, and saw that Paradise Palms was closest to the beginning of the bus's route. It would be a risk to jump out near a popular landing spot, but they were both excellent players, and it was a risk they were willing to take. They discussed strategies and wether or not the legendary pump should be nerfed. All of a sudden a voice called out,

"Attention all players, we are begining our lift-off. Hands, feet, and back bling must be kept inside the bus at all times, and there is no food or drink allowed on here." A couple people ran outside.

"And Sky Stalker," the voice continued in an angry tone, "if you try dangling someone out the window again, I will eject you out with no glider!" Sky Stalker sank in his seat.

"Man, you tease a default once and you never hear the end of it..." he mumbled.

"COUGH, more like twenty times COUGH" said his partner Omega. Shelly smiled as the bus lifted off, she knew it was going to be a good game if she had started a dance circle.


	4. Chapter 4: “Pick” Your Fights

**Hey! Sorry for not uploading in a a while, Season 7 came out so I've been busy. Since it's almost Christmas, I probably won't be posting any new chapters, but I am planning to do a themed short story. Anyways, the adventures of Shelly continue.**

The Battle Bus was less than a mile away from the island, when Shelly got a cold feeling on her back. She felt off, like something bad had just happened. It was similar to the feeling of dying in "Battle Royale". For those who have never done that (the reader), imagine feeling like that one guy with the monster in him in _Alien,_ as it was trying to rip out of his gut. That's how she felt. Shelly also noticed a slight rumbling that seemed to be coming from the island. She looked at Bunny and the rest of the people on the bus, who looked unaware of the situation. _I'm just antsy,_ Shelly thought to herself, _I haven't done this in a while, I'm just nervous._ She still couldn't deny something was in the air.

"Attention all players, you are now free to move about the bus, please keep shouting to a minimum, and remember that boogie bombs are strictly prohibited." called the voice. Shelly slowly got up and moved to a window closer to the front. She suddenly noticed that the island was foggier than usual. Halloween was usually the only time the got fog, and it was well after Halloween. The strangest part was that the fog seemed to be swirling around. Shelly could almost make out an image, when the bus doors opened.

"Geronimo!" Bunny yelled as she jumped out. Shelly followed and soon they were gliding above Paradise Palms. They landed a house apart, and quickly started looting. Shelly couldn't find any guns, when she heard dreaded footsteps. She snapped around and saw Hyperion. She realized that he was only holding bandages and relaxed a bit. They stared at each other for a little, slowly rotating in the sparse bedroom.

"I see you have no gun." glared Hyperion.

"Neither do you." responded Shelly. She quietly moved behind the bed.

"Let's just get this over with." He smirked and pulled out his pickaxe. Shelly smiled too, but for a different reason. Everyone on the island had their own strength, and Shelly's was shotguns and being a default. She was often underestimated, so while everyone else would try to troll her, she would play along and shotgun their face when she got close enough. Shelly could tell that Hyperion thought this would be an easy kill. She whipped out her pickaxe and grinned.

"Try me." They rushed at each other, pickaxes swinging and minds thinking that they were going to need a lot of bandages.


	5. How The Jailbirds Stole Christmas

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Here's the short story I was talking about, and as you can tell by the title, it's about Scoundrel and Rapscallion stealing Christmas. This doesn't have anything to do with the other story, but enjoy!**

''Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the map

Not a person was stirring, not even a chap.

Omega was sleeping, all snug in his lair,

Carbide was cozy, tucked in with care.

A tired Grill Sergeant laid in his bed,

While visions of Durr Burgers danced in his head.

The Reaper could finally take a rest,

After a long day of being the best.

Even the llamas were fast asleep,

They made no noise, not one little peep.

All the houses had lights, twinkling and bright,

With all the color, it was a beautiful night.

All of a sudden, Scoundrel awoke,

With an mischievous grin, the evil bloke.

He tapped his friend Rapscallion, she awoke too,

He whispered his plan, what they would do.

They would steal Christmas, but first you must know,

That they hated the holiday, they hated it so.

Scoundrel grabbed some sacks,

Rapscallion followed,

Then they left their hideout, a tree that was hollowed.

They snuck to Salty Springs, decorated with zeal,

And the decorations they started to steal.

The bells, the baubles, the holly, the racks,

All disappeared into their huge sacks.

They finally stopped, with faces all cheery,

But Salty Springs looked especially dreary.

They hoped on their quad-crashers, and drove away,

Then they stole every decoration on the island,

Before the light of day.

As the sun rose,

Over all the homes,

The Jailbirds expected to hear some pitiful moans.

Instead they could hear faint singing around,

Scoundrel looked sad, he stared at the ground.

They quickly drove to the sounds they heard,

But when they saw what happened, they could not utter a word.

Everyone was in Tilted Towers, with glee,

Singing around the Christmas tree.

It turns out small children, that even though

The Jailbirds stole everything, excepting the snow,

Decorations aren't what make Christmas amazing,

Although they can be quite nice for gazing.

Christmas is really about the sharing,

Compassion, cheerfulness, and lots of caring.

But these facts did not fill the Jailbirds with gloom,

They threw a grenade and watched the decorations go boom.


	6. Chapter 5: Narrow Escape

**Hi again! Hope everyone had a great new year! I'm getting back into routine, and I will set an official-ish date for when I'll publish new chapters. So, every one and a half weeks you can expect another chapter, but keep in mind that this date will change, and if there's a really long wait, then there will be a really long chapter. Enjoy the story!**

Shelly dashed out of the house, with only 25 hp. She had won the pickaxe battle, but she neede to find a gun quick, as Hyperion's teammate would soon be looking for her. Abstrakt eventually made it into the house, but Shelly was able to hide behind some boxes and miraculously not get found. She sneaked to the house Bunny was in, and they met in the garage.

"Any healing?" Shelly asked.

"If I did then I wouldn't be this low." Bunny said, showing Shelly her tracker. Their health were both in the 20s.

"Well, do you have any weapons?"

"I have a silenced pistol, but I see you don't have anything." Shelly sighed and turned her pockets out.

"We need to get out of here." she mumbled.

"Then our luck might just be turning around." Bunny pulled out a Rift-to-Go, and started to shake it.

"Wait!" Shelly stopped Bunny's hands. "We should run as far as we can, and then use the rift so we can get farther in the air." Bunny nodded and stood up.

"Plus, the safe circle moved. It's all the way over on the west side." Shelly checked her map and sighed. They ran outside, and sneaked along the edge of Paradise Palms, narrowly avoiding a trap. She kindly let Bunny drink a slurp juice from the loot pile of an eliminated person.

"If there's loot piles and almost no one here, that means someone's sniping. But they probably moved." whispered Bunny. Shelly turned to the mountains and shivered. She thought about her bad experiences with snipers. She also noticed the ATK that usually was in th area had been taken. _Great, more people with guns is just what we need_ she thought. After determining that the people that were in there left, they stopped at the hotel and found a hunting rifle, with no ammo.

"Better safe than sorry." Bunny tossed it to Shelly. Using some bushes to jump over a wall, they were finally out. Once they were in the desert, they started to sprint. All of a sudden, gunfire sounded.

"I thought no one was following us!" Shelly yelled. She turned her head and saw Redline glaring at her while aiming a sniper, and Burnout continuing the gunfire. Bunny fired a few shots back, as Shelly kept jumping up and down.

"The rift, use the rift!" Bunny quickly shook it and the two were transported in the air. While Burnout was still shooting, Bunny placed a marker near Shifty Shafts. _Let's hope we'll have better luck,_ Shelly thought as she deployed her glider. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, they didn't hear the screams behind them.


	7. Chapter 6: Suprise Encounter

As Bunny and Shelly glided towards their destination, Shelly could have sworn she heard another rumble coming from the island, so she quickly looked down, but didn't see anything. Although she wasn't afraid of heights, Shelly never liked to look anywhere but in front of her when she was gliding. A few moments later, they touched down on the ground, around Leaky Lake. Everyone had cleared out, so the only things left were some gray ARs and a mini shield or two, remnants of battles lost and won. Shelly drank the shields, and Bunny started up a quad-crasher.

"Should we still go to Shifty Shafts?" Shelly said as she checked an AR for ammo.

"Well, it wasn't near the Battle Bus route, so it should be unlooted." Bunny reved the quad-crasher up while Shelly hopped on. Soon they were speedingtowards Shifty Shafts, occasionally getting off to get mushrooms and apples. Just as they made it to the wooden entrance, an RPG went off, followed by a minigun.

"How the heck did this place give such good loot?" Bunny whispered as she got her pistol out. Most of Shifty was now destroyed, and wide open spaces with RPGs are not a good combination. Shelly groaned as she hopped back on the quad-crasher. _Will we ever settle down?_ she thought. It took a while for Shelly to notice, but Bunny started to smile as they got onto the road. _How can you be happy right now?! You may have full health but I sure don't!_ Bunny seemed to sense Shelly's thoughts and said,

"I think you forgot about the pool." Shelly thought about it and beamed. You see, there was a little town-ish place, Northwest of Shifty Shafts, give or take. Although the main attraction of that place was the impressive indoor soccer stadium, there was indeed an dried-pool, which had lots of materials and pretty good weapons. There was also a small taco shop and a car mechanic/gas station that could spawn two glorious chests. Even better, since that spot wasn't a named location, or very large, it didn't have many visitors, making it a perfect place to loot and heal at. They immediately started for the town, and Shelly just about burst with joy when she saw no signs of looting yet. Once night fell, they met in the middle of the location and took inventory. Shelly had a pump shotgun, purple scar, hunting rifle, balloons, and one big shield pot. Bunny had a green AR, silenced pistol, stink bombs, clingers, some bandages, and a launch pad just in case they needed to make another escape. After placing a lone campfire found in the taco shop, the duo sat down in the 1x1 they built, attached to the soccer stadium. The cool evening air blew in through a window, but it only made the fire burn brighter.

"This has been pretty fun so far." joked Bunny.

"No kidding," Shelly shivered, "but night is a bit spooky, don't you think?"

"I guess. It's pretty silent and, well, dark. Wanna tell stories to get our minds off of it?"

"Sure." Shelly started a spooky story called _The Last Carp_ , but Bunny kept questioning it.

"Wait, how did the fish get into the tree in the first place?"

"I don't know, it's just a story."

"Well if the fish is a mutated carp, then did it use it's powers to launch itself into the tree?"

"Bunny, you're confusing me. I just said that the mutant fish ate it's enemies, the fishermen. Where did you get the tree idea?"

"Well if the fish is smart enough to eat people then-" Shelly stopped her.

"How about you tell a story?"

"Fine, but you'll remember this one." Bunny began her story, one of their childhood, in Pleasant Park.

 _Many years ago, Bunny and Shelly lived next to each other, right by the soccer field in Pleasant. They would often hold "meetings", with their teddy bears at the pavilion. One night, the evening of the "Teddy Bear Ball", as they called it, they met at the pavilion, a little after 8 o'clock. They held their bears in their arms, and began to dance to imaginary music. Bunny wanted to play tag after the dancing, so they ran over to the grove of trees behind their houses. They were having the time of there lives, until Shelly started crying. Bunny went over to see what was wrong and found Shelly had fallen in a Corrupted Zone. The Corrupted Zones were imprints of a mysterious purple cube that transformed into part of the floating island in Loot Lake. In every Zone there were Shadow Stones, miniature cubes that would make people invisible for a few seconds. Shelly had fallen out of a tree and into a large patch of the Shadow Stones, along with her teddy bear. She was bleeding a lot and complained that her leg was in a lot of pain. Bunny rushed to get their parents, but when they came back, Shelly looked very different. All her cuts and scrapes were gone, and she wasn't crying or screaming. She still had a sad face, but that was because her teddy bear also disappeared. As she was being carried back home on her parent's back, Bunny could have sworn Shelly_ _was glowing a faint purple as she closed her eyes._

"We never did figure out what happened." Bunny chuckled.

"I don't even remember what happened to my bear. Maybe it was the ghosts." She wiggled her fingers and Bunny laughed.

"Still, I'm pretty sure you were glowing purple, even though none of our parents believed me."

"It was probably just your imagination. I mean, we thought our teddy bears were our true loves."

"Hey! Prince Arnold the Fluffy was my love!" They both had a laughing fit until something nearby made a loud crash.

"What was that?"

"Eh, probably just some weird raccoon," Bunny yawned, "I'm going to bed." She slowly got up from the dying fire and made herself comfy on the bleachers. Shelly longed for a place to sleep, but the strange noise lingered in the back of her mind. _Just to be safe,_ she thought as she pulled out her shotgun. She tiptoed over to the gas station, and found a magazine stand was knocked over. _Weird,_ she thought as she exited the gas station. All of a sudden, a figure came up behind her, knocked the gun out of her hand, and put her in a headlock.

"Turn around slowly and don't even think about picking your gun up." the figure said with a muffled voice. Shelly obeyed, expecting another fight, but she didn't expect the person pointing an SMG at her.


	8. Chapter 7: Drift

_A few minutes ago..._

His heart was pounding. His teammate had been long gone and didn't even stay to watch. He quietly crept up behind some cars and spied on the duo in front of him. Completely unaware. He has gotten used to sneaking around. He regretted not staying on the hill he was just in and sniping them instead, but then if he knocked one, the other would edit out the windows, making him lose his shot. He thought about how he could quickly kill them both, but then he started to listen to what they were saying. Plus, he was enjoying the story that the default was telling. The other one dressed like a bunny kept interrupting, and he thought he must have stepped into a reality show. They were so comical, like there was a director somewhere filming them. He smiled and shook his head, remembering the time he stared in a hidden camera show. Although he was a celebrity, he tried to not let the fame get into his head. He instead strived to live a mostly normal life, have normal friends, spend his days doing normal activities, and playing Battle Royale like a normal person. But there was still something that made him not normal, and he knew. Obviously, because you tend to notice whenever you start to glow purple or hear random whispers when you're alone. He crept into the gas station to weigh the pros and cons of 'sploding this duo. _Well, I should because the point of this is to kill people. But I shouldn't because this story is so weird and kinda funny. But I should, because I can take their loot. But that default..._ His thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash. _Oh great. You really did it this time._ He had knocked a magazine stand over, and was now panicking as he listened to the default say "What was that?" Quickly tiptoeing out of the building he hid behind the corner, until a plan started to form in his mind.

 _Later..._

It was him. It was really him. Drift held his SMG up, the barrel pointed at Shelly's head. Her palms were sweaty and her face was red, but she wasn't sure wether it was because she was being held at gunpoint or because her longtime crush, Drift, was right in front of her. She glanced at Bunny, who was fast asleep and silently prayed she would go unnoticed. All of a sudden, another loud crash sounded, only this time it wasn't something falling over. It it was coming from the island again, and loud rumbling soon followed. Shelly covered her ears, and Drift seemed to wince at the sound.

"Wait. Did you hear that too?" Shelly gave a slow nod, daring to speak.

"Have you been hearing sounds like that a lot?"

"Yes. I thought I was going crazy, but there's finally someone who's hearing what I'm hearing." he replied in a relieved voice.

"Can you drop your gun?"

"Oh...yeah, of course. Look, um, I don't know how to say this without it getting awkward, but I think that we might be the only people who can hear this. I've heard these sounds a lot before when no one else has, and...um... if none of the people you know have heard it, then, um, maybe we could try to find out what this is, so maybe we could meet...and try to figure this out?" Hearing that he was as flustered as she was made Shelly calm down a bit, but she was still blushing furiously.

"Ok...when should we, you know, meet?"

"Well, I was thinking that after this game we could meet at...I guess Leaky Lake."

"Sounds good." Drift started to walk off into the darkness when he turned around and said,

"Um, what was your name?"

"Shelly."

"My name's Drift. See you later Shelly." She watched him walk behind a wall, and waved goodbye. As she laid down on the bleachers next to Bunny, she thought about everything that just happened. Drift had just asked her out. _No, he didn't ask me out. He just asked me to meet him at Leaky Lake. It's just to figure out what the heck is going on. Still, it seemed like he was just as embarrassed as I was. Or was that just surprise?_ She sighed. His face was the last image in her mind before sleep overtook her.


	9. Chapter 8: Ride or Die

Bunny was awake way before Shelly was, but she had good reason for needing more sleep. The fact that she talked to Drift in person made her head spin.

"Come on Shelly! We gotta go!" Bunny shook her until she was about to fall off the bleachers.

"Fine, just get the quad-crasher ready." Shelly sleepily said.

"Already done. Come on, I have to show you some healing!" That got her up. She followed Bunny to the gas station where a chug jug laid. "Isn't this a great find? Kind of random, but it's still great. You can have it, of course." Shelly nodded and picked up the chug jug. She noticed that there was piece of paper on the ground next to it. She unfolded the paper, and it read:

 _Sorry for holding an SMG in your face. This is an apology chug jug. Don't forget: meet me at Leaky Lake later, my number's on the back of the note just in case._

Shelly gratefully drank the chug jug and tucked the note in her pocket. She worried that this was considered teaming and both of them might get brought up to the court and get banned, but it wasn't like he was helping her kill anyone. Shelly got on the quad-crasher and Bunny drove them away.

"Looks like the storm is moving faster. I don't think we'll get caught in it, and even if we do we can just drive out of it." Shelly said, checking her tracker. The storm was like any other thunderstorm, but it had thick purple clouds, purple fog, piercing rain, and lightning bolts the size of water towers. Each second someone spent in the storm would make them lose health, and the amount of health lost increased as the storm progressed. There would be a safe circle similar to the eye of a storm, but it would only last a little while. The safe circle would gradually get smaller, forcing everyone to get closer together, and provoking more fights. Bunny and Shelly drove by a few small huts, looting and checking weapons. Bunny pulled on the paved road and slowed down. Shelly took the time to relax and breathe in the cool air. As hectic and violent as this was, the island's weather and scenery never failed to calm people. The sun shone brightly, occasionally getting blocked out by the mountains, overlooking the island. The peace was interrupted by a sniper, followed by some more gunshots. Shelly sat to attention and heard a few more shots, followed by an explosion.

"Looks like a battle going on over the hill. Should we check it out."

"Let's be careful.." Bunny muttered as she started to build some ramps on the hill. Shelly drove the quad-crasher up and parked it next to a RV that they ducked behind. "There! By the clock tower!" True to Bunny's words, there was some new builds next to the tower. Shadow Ops popped up from the top of the tower and fired a shot from her heavy sniper. Shelly tried to see where the bullet went, and narrowed it down to the other tallest building, the gray castle-like building in the middle of Tilted. She could just barely see the top of someone's head as that person crouched down to revive their teammate.

"Should we attack? We only have one kill, and that heavy sniper would be nice." Bunny said as she peeked from the side of the RV.

"I guess, but how would we get a height advantage? There are probably traps in the stairways, and neither of us have the mats to start a build battle." Shelly let out a frustrated sigh and looked around for ways to sneak in. Her eyes eventually landed on the quad-crasher, and a slightly stupid plan formed in her head. "How many mays do you have again?" she asked.

"Around 40, but that's barely enough to build a few walls. How's that going to help?"

"Let's just say that I hope that you've been practicing your driving skills."

 _A couple minutes later..._

After much deliberation and acting it out, they were ready.

"Ok, here's the plan." Shelly reviewed once more, "Fist, we both get on the quad-crasher. I build some ramps off the side of the hill with your mats, and you drive up the ramp. The moment we get to the top, you boost. We should go flying up, I'll shoot at whoever I see, and we hopefully land without taking damage. Then I'll build another ramp with the mats I have left, repeat the process, but this time we'll go flying at the clock tower and knock whoever's up there down. Right?"

"Yes. And if we actually pull it off, then we can dance on their graves."

"Great. Let's go." She checked her weapons, got a bit more wood, and sat on the back of the vehicle. Bunny revved it up, and the boost meter glowed green, signifying that it was ready.

"You know this is a stupid idea, right?" Bunny turned around

"Go big or go home. Or in this case, go big and go home."

"Honestly, I thought you would be a bit worried. All that adrenaline already in your head?"

"Yeah..." Shelly trailed off. She still couldn't stop thinking about wether or not she should tell Bunny about Drift. Plus, she kind of wanted this all to end so she could meet with him. She shook her head and focused back on their plan. The ramps had been built, and the two teams in Tilted were still fighting, somehow unaware of the now huge ramp off to side. The quad-crasher climbed up slowly, but then sped up. At the very top, Bunny boosted. And...they flew. Shelly held on to her seat for dear life until she remebered to shoot at people. She fired a round at Omega, who just popped up, and successfully did 30 damage. The quad-crasher thudded to the ground, but Bunny turned it, aiming at the clock tower. Time seemed slow down as they began to fly towards the tower. A very confused Shadow Ops watched Shelly scream "WAHOOOOO!" and land an almost perfect headshot for 107 damage. The quad-crasher burst through, creating a large hole that soon made the clock tower collapse. Shadow Ops fell and turned to a blue hologram, teleporting away and leaving only her loot behind. Shelly slowly got off and looked at Bunny.

"We did it. It actually worked."

"No kiddin-" The surprise was interrupted by Omega, who had brought out his scoped AR and was dealing a bunch of damage. Shelly rapidly built some walls and ramps, but Shadow Ops didn't have that much material. Bunny didn't get inside the walls in time, and was knocked to the ground.

"Coming!" Shelly yelled as she broke a few clock tower walls, trying to get enough material to build around Bunny. Omega was able to lower Bunny's health into the 30s, but had to reload. It didn't take long, but it was enough time for Shelly to build a 1x1 and start reviving Bunny. It looked like Omega had given up, but there was a wooshing sound coming from the building he was in, followed by the unmistakable sound of a glider. He started to pickaxe one of the walls, and Shelly panicked. She was almost done reviving Bunny, but the brick wasn't going to last long. She kept reviving, but as soon as the wall broke, she fired her shotgun blindly. Omega fell to the ground and crawled of to the side. Bunny finally got revived, and started healing inside while Shelly finished him off. Minutes later, Sky Stalker flew down from the launch pad, ready to avenge his teammate.

"On the count of three we attack." Bunny whispered. Before anything could happen, a dreaded RPG destroyed most of the walls, exposing everyone. Instead of quickly killing them both, Sky Stalker decided to taunt them. He weakened them with his scar, and began walling them in.

"He's trying to trap us!" Shelly yelled as she began smashing at the walls.

"Wait! He has to get near us to place a trap and you have a shotgun. This could work."

"Omega was a lucky kill, I'm not going to try that again!"

"These are his builds. If we try to run, he can just edit out and kill us. And we have to go, the storm is still moving." Shelly sighed and reloaded her shotgun. _Not much use reloading one shell, but why not?_ Sky Stalker's footsteps got louder, and Bunny took out her AR, just to be safe. They could hear him editing the floors above, and soon they heard a thump on the roof above them. _This will teach you guys for thirsting!_ he thought as he prepared his trap. Let's just say that he was the one that learned a lesson.


	10. Chapter 9: Into the Woods

**Hey people! Just a quick PSA, the next story might take a while to upload due to some school** **-related issues but the delay shouldn't be more than a couple of days. Also, if you're not a fan of cheesy conversations, skip the middle of this chapter. Other than that, enjoy the story, leave a comment, and have a good life.**

Sky Stalker fell to the ground, and the duo started checking out his impressive stockpile of loot. Almost full mats, lots of shield potions, and a ton of ammo was the perfect reward for braving through Tilted. After healing and victory dancing, they got back on the quad-crasher and just barely made it past the storm. The new safe circle was northeast, with only Wailing Woods and a bit of Lonely Lodge in it. Bunny cruised around the edge of the storm, checking for any other opponents. Shelly got lost in her thoughts, and wondered about all the ways they might win. _I hope I don't see Drift again. I mean, I hope he did well or is doing well, but what if he's the last person? Should I just stay back an let Bunny fight him? What if he beats her? But what if he doesn't?_ This internal argument went on for a while, until they reached Wailing Woods. It was as spooky as ever, with its corrupted zone glowing a bright purple that was visible from the edge of the woods.

"We should probably leave the quad-crasher here. We can hide behind the trees and ambush people." Bunny whispered as she gazed up at the trees. She parked it near a small hut, and they disappeared into the shadows. A couple mushrooms got their shields up, but there wasn't anyone there so they spent most of the time talking.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I trust you not to judge."

"I won't judge. What's the matter?" Shelly wondered if this was a good time to bring up Drift.

"I don't want to win. I know that we've gotten this far and all, but I want to go home to Rabbit Raider. Call me clingy, but I miss him. It's just nicer to be with a loved one, you know?"

"I guess..."

"Oh. Sorry. I forgot. If this isn't a super bad time, then can I give some advice?"

"Go ahead."

"You need someone or something in your life. A pet even. I know you well enough to tell that you're feeling sad, no matter how much you smile."

"I know, but how could that happen? You and Rabbit Raider have so much in common, and connect on a level only you two could understand. You both fell in love in a time where liking the same things was all you needed. Now, all people care about is what you look like. People with outfits like these are already underestimated and laughed at, how could one of them find a person that loves them?"

"First of all, your outfit matters the least. You may have basic clothing, but you're the fiercest fighter I know. The nicest one, too."

"But you know me. You've known me for over almost twenty years. It's not like you'll see some pro at Battle Royale ever sit down with someone without a fancy outfit and say 'Hi, how are you? I genuinely care about your interests, and I'm definitely not interested in making fun of you'."

"Shelly, listen. You are a great person. Anything that happens to you can never change that. If the whole island were to make fun of you, then you'd still be great. It can't change you, it'll just give you battle scars that show everyone that you don't care, that you are still the best person here. If someone can't see that, then don't even bother with them."

"Thanks Bunny. You can always cheer me up."

"No problem. But I'm serious about finding someone..." Shelly gently shoved her, and they went back to strolling through the woods. They hadn't noticed, but they had been going in circles, and ended up in the corrupted area.

"This place is still creepy." Shelly muttered. Suddenly, a bat screeched. But it wasn't just a normal bat, it was the glider of Dusk. The duo ran behind a rock while Dusk landed on a dead tree and scooped out the area.

"She's the only one. Should we attack?"

"The less people the better, so yes we should."

"Ok, let's try this again. On the count of three. One...two...three!" They both kept out from behind the rock, but only Bunny was able to fire her gun. Shelly wasn't able to fire a shot, the moment she jumped up, she was knocked back down. A blinding flash of purple was the last thing she saw before falling into a black abyss.


	11. Chapter 10: The Meeting

**Hello again! My schedule got messed up a lot, so this one took longer to come out, sorry for the wait. Since I normally post on Fridays, I'm going to skip this Friday so I can work on a chapter for next Friday. I know it'll take longer, but I can promise there won't be a ton more weird update days,** **Also, I have been getting messages from people reading the story asking for friend requests on Fortnite, I'm happy to accept. My username is CaseyJones43, if you leave a review or send me message asking for a friend request then tell me your username so I know who to look for. Enjoy the story!**

 _"Worlds collided and the darkness prevailed. Through the very thing that brought the worlds together, darkness escaped from the control of me. It has taken control of more..._ _that thing was formed from the energy, it took over the water and the the land there, now it's corrupted spots of land...the energy possesed her and it spread. We know of...but he has not yet been found since he was taken...must find her...she will bring him back..."_

Shelly opened her eyes and started gasping for air. While listening to that haunting voice, it felt like she had been underwater and was drowning. She remembered thrashing around, but now she was simply floating in the air. She looked up, and saw nothing but blue. It wasn't a blue sky, because the color was all around her, creating a void where everything stood still. All of a sudden, lines of white appeared in the blue, running towards a white spot like wires in a microchip. The white spot began to take a shape, creating jagged edges that formed what looked like a broken mirror. _What is that rift doing?_ she thought. It was getting larger, and started to spin around. The rift exploded, and everything went dark again.

When Shelly woke up, she wasn't greeted by a Victory Royale, or even Wailing Woods. She was back in her bed, listening to the distant rumble of thunder. _No way that was a dream..._ she thought as she rubbed her eyes. She quickly checked her pockets, and found the apology note from Drift. Now confused as to why she wasn't still in the match, she stumbled out of her room and to the living room, where she left her phone. After dialing the number on the back of the paper, the phone crackled and someone answered.

"Hello? This is Drift."

"Hi, this is Shelly."

"Oh, hi again. I assume you're calling about the meeting?"

"Yep. I can be there in about ten minutes."

"Great. This is kind of a weird question, but could you bring some paper?"

"Like looseleaf paper?"

"Any paper will do. I thought taking notes might be a good idea."

"Oh, yeah. Um, that makes sense. See you there."

"Bye."

She hung up and sighed. _Why am I like this? Why can't I talk without getting nervous? Do I even have paper?_ She sighed again, only this time it was more of a yawn. She slowly walked back up the stairs, ready to see if this meeting would work out as planned.

The drive to Leaky Lake was surprisingly pleasant, despite all the rain. Shelly had decided to borrow her neighbors ATK since it had a roof, Circut Breaker always had random vehicles in his garage. She drove around the lake to the factories, and was able to park just as the rain stopped. The clouds faded away and revealed a warm afternoon sun, creating one of the lake's famous rainbows. Shelly hopped off and paced around the pier, still nervous about the meeting. Not too long after, another ATK swerved around the curb and came to a smooth halt. Drift hopped out, wearing a jacket over his normally very flashy clothes. They started talking for about two hours, discussing the rumbling in the island.

"So, do you get a cold feeling every time you feel a tremor too?"

"Yes, but sometimes it's more of a nauseous feeling." she said. Drift scribbled something on the paper.

"Well, this is sort of a random idea, but what if it's just that we can predict earthquakes, like some animals?"

"But the feeling happens when the tremor happens, so we're not really predicting anything."

"What if it's not an earthquake? What if it's something else?"

"What would it be?"

"It would..." He paused for a minute and sighed. "I can't come up with anything. Maybe that's all of the ideas we have today. Want to take a break for a moment?"

"Sure." Shelly leaned up against a pole, and stretched. The moment of peace was interrupted by some rumbling. She quickly sat up at attention. _Is this another tremor? Is something happening? Drift looked slightly panicked, but then they both realized it wasn't the island. It was just their stomachs._

"Wow, I guess we reall have been out here too long." she laughed.

"No kidding, I'm gonna start heading back. Also, do you know any good places to eat out? I would go home, but don't think I can wait."

"There's always Durr Burger, but Retail Row has some small resteraunts that are nice too."

"Great, thanks. See you next meeting."

"...next meeting?"

"Oh, well since there's a lot more things to talk about, then I think we'll probably need another meeting. Same time next week?"

"Sure. Bye Drift."

"Later."

Shelly got back on her ATK, and watched him drive away. She was happy that someone could feel what she was feeling, and sort of understood her. When she got home, the first thing she did was text Bunny.

 _Can we talk tomorrow? I have some good news._

She finally got in bed, and stared out her window into the star-speckled sky. In the disstance, Shelly could spot a group of people gathered around a campfire, laughing and singing. She rolled over and closed her eyes, smiling. _Maybe Bunny was right. Being with another person makes everything better._


	12. Chapter 11: Discovery

The next morning, Shelly arrived at Bunny's door, ready to talk. They settled down in the living room, while she tried to find how to begin this conversation.

"So...you know how when we're little we had teddy bears?"

"Yeah."

"And you know how we called them our true loves?"

Bunny looked very lost.

 _This wasn't the best way to start._ "Um, never mind that. What I meant to say was..."

"Shelly, you can tell me anything. I know I've said it way too many times before, but you know that you can." Shelly took a deep breath and sighed.

"I met someone."

"Really? Thats great. Where did you two meet?"

"Well, that's the complicated part. It's also complicated to tell you who it is." She started from the beginning, at the gas station.

"Woah. You met Drift? As in the Drift who stars in _ATK Wars_ and who you have a crus-"

"Yes. It's definitely nothing romantic, but I still met him."

"And you two have 'meetings' together. Gotta say, it sounds kind of romantic."

"It's just talking. Trust me."

"What exactly do you two talk about that's so important you need to have a full-fledged meeting about it?"

"Er..."

"Never mind, you don't have to tell me. If it's private, it's private. Still, you know that you like him and what if he feels the same way? And what if he doesn't get it? Not to be a pessimist, but just saying."

"I mean, I get that the meetings are just casual and all, heck, he doesn't even know what or how I feel about him. I'm sure that he's had plenty of attention like this before, so I don't want to act like that. I want to be a friend, even though I'll hate myself if I don't at least let him know. It'll be even worse if he's dating someone, so if I do try then it'll look desperate. I guess it's just nice to talk, and no matter what I feel, I'll still look forward to those meetings when we talk and can kind of understand each other, those days."

Those days turned into weeks, and weeks to months. Which each meeting, Shelly and Drift we're getting deeper into the strange occurrences, talking about everything from shifts in weather to the island's history of events like these. After hours of conversation, they would always take a break and then go home. Sometimes the breaks were long, like having lunch and sometimes they just walked around the lake. There was even a schedule saying who would pick what they did for the break each week. This week it was Drift's turn. Shelly drove to Leaky Lake like normal, and saw him already there with a box and a long case.

"What are we doing today?"

"Well, this is a lake, so what better pastime is there than fishing? Plus, it might take a while so we can fish and talk at. Pick a pole, and then we'll start." They settled down on the pier and cast their lines. Most of the conversation was centered around fishing, they were almost out of conversation starters. Soon, the topic of fishing was worn out and awkward silence ensured.

"The lake is really nice today." Drift blurted.

"I guess it's always been a lot nicer since the cube exploded."

"Did you get to see the explosion?"

"I got to see the very end."

"I tried to set up a viewing party with some friends, key word tried. I was in Battle Royale and people kept killing me so I almost missed it."

"Me too. But it was worth it, they way the cube was glowing..." She trailed off for a couple minutes.

"Shelly? You ok?"

"I'm fine, but I just realized something."

"What?"

"I must be the stupidest person ever for not thinking about this sooner, but you know how there were a bunch of glowing runes on the cube? And how last week we talked about sometimes seeing purple lines that were in some sort of pattern when the island shook? So what if-"

"-we're seeing the runes from the cube."

"Exactly! When it exploded, what if it went back to the island and that's what's causing all the rumbling?" They both tried and failed to contemplate this, but Drift spoke up.

"We need to follow this. It's first idea we've ever talked about that makes sense. No offense to any of your ideas, of course."

"None taken. But we still don't have any proof..."

"We can find it. Can you meet at the pavilion in Pleasant Park tomorrow?"

"Why Pleasant Park?"

"I happen to know someone who has, shall we say a very wide knowledge of the cube. Knows pretty much everything there is to know. Which makes sense, if you consider where they're from..."


	13. Chapter 12: The Book of Runes

**Greetings! Sorry for the late update, my school always crams in homework right before spring break, so I had a lot of studying instead of writing. This chapter is a lot longer, so I'm going to hope that this will pass off for the one I was supposed to finish last week and this week. I know, I need to get everything organized and stop pushing stuff back, and trust me, I am trying. To all the people who regularly check for story updates, thanks a bunch** **for being patient. Enjoy the story!**

He had been waiting for almost an hour, but he just go there early. With his spare time, he tried to call. _Please pick up,_ he thought. He knew that she hadn't bothered to get a new or at least working phone, so it might take a while. She finally answered, but her voice was almost silent over the static.

 _Oh look who it is. Had to break her heart, want to try to break mine?_

 _You know that we both thought it wouldn't work out. Plus, I thought you didn't care about her._

 _Please. We may be polar opposites, but we're still connected. And I hold grudges._

 _Well, I need a favor._

 _Nope._

 _You didn't even listen to me._

 _I'm_ _not helping you after all of that._

 _Listen. I need your information about the cube._

 _...fine, now you have my attention. But I'll have to think about it._

 _How long do you need to think?_

 _Eh, couple days._

 _Can you think faster?_

 _Can you persuade me?_ He sighed. It wasn't like she was ever easy to talk to, but he really needed her help.

 _I didn't want to bring this up, but you owe me. Remember that I saved her life. And remember who I saved her life from._ The other line paused for a while, but responded in a darker voice.

 _You are never to bring that up to her, or anyone else again. You know that was an accident, and you are never to speak of it again. Understand?_

 _Will you help me?_

 _Fine. When do you need help?_

 _Very soon. Just expect visitors today._

 _Hmph..._

He ended the call and thought about what she had said. _Did I really break her heart? No, we both said that it wouldn't work out. Right?_ She had been his first friend, the one that was there for him ever since he appeared out of the rift. They eventually started dating, and it was obvious that they loved each other very much. After a while, he realized that the love he felt for her wasn't romantic, more brotherly. She claimed that she agreed when he told her, but she never talked to him after the breakup. His thoughts were interrupted by Shelly, finally pulling up in an ATK.

 _Meanwhile..._

Shelly yawned as she parked her ATK by the pavilion. It had been another night of dreams about rifts. In every dream she would be pulled to it, paralyzed and unable to do anything but move closer and closer. Yet when she was about to get pulled in, she would wake up in a cold sweat. Shelly hopped that she would be able to bring up the dreams today, but Drift looked very stressed as he waved to her.

"So, where is this cub expert you want me to meet?"

"We have to walk there, but it'll be quick. She doesn't really appreciate cars."

"Is she a old technophobe lady?"

"I guess that's one way of putting it."

They took a quick stroll out of Pleasant Park, and into the nearby woods. There stood an abandoned building, the ruins of what might have been a factory or house. The building happened to be right next to the corrupted area, that and the random, boots of an owl set an even creepier atmosphere. As they got closer to the house, she could have sworn it got significantly colder. She tried not to stare at the massive spiderweb in a pile of brick and metal while Drift knocked on the door. There was some shuffling followed by a series of quiet clinks until the door creaked open. Dark Bomber stood in the doorway with a mishchevous smile. She gave Shelly a slight nod and glared at Drift.

"Well, we finally meet again. Going to introduce me to your friend?"

Dark Bomber led them upstairs to an attic, and sat them down on a sagging and slightly moldy couch. Shelly tried her hardest not to stare again, but she had only ever heard rumors about her that were very vague and hard to understand. Trying to describe Dark Bomber was like trying to describe a massive tornado or hurricane, all the words you want to use are too positive for the subject. She was the spitting image of Bright Bomber, except for her colors. Almost everything she wore was black or a dark shade of purple, excepting the symbols on her leggings that would fade in and out. Her face was pretty much the same, except for her eyes. Probably the scariest part of her besides her temper, they were constantly glowing and changing with her mood. They could quickly go from a blinding pink to ten times darker than her mood. But no matter the color, they always had a ' _I have over a million kills in Battle Royale why don't you fight me'_ or ' _If you get any closer to me then I will end you'_ glint. Shelly was still trying to shake the cold feeling she kept on feeling and noticed Drift was starting to shiver a bit.

"Dark Bomber, this is Shelly. Shelly, I'm sure you know Dark Bomber."

"Yeah yeah, I'm famous for being the local creep. Let's get to the point. You guys want to know about the cube?" Drift and Shelly nodded. "Great. Ask me whatever."

"What do you know about the runes?"

"For starters, runes are a very, very ancient language. A lot older than me, probably older than the cube. Runes are associated with very powerful magic, the type that created the cube and the storm."

"The storm was created by magic?" Shelly asked.

"Technically it was created by a really old machine, but yes. There was a lot of the same magic involved in both creations. I mean, the storm and cube are kinda similar if you think about it, they're both purple and somewhat deadly."

"So if the cube is related to the storm and the runes are related to the cube, then would the runes be connected to the weather?"

"Not the weather, natural disasters. Runes don't just affect little rainbows and sunshine, no, they're more related to hurricanes, tornados, and-"

"Earthquakes?" Drift interjected.

"Yep. Actually, runes are most connected to earthquakes and all other ground-related disasters. That's why the cube was able to pull up the island in the lake and all those other chunks of the corrupted zones, it was had a very strong connection with the island." _So it definitely could be the cube creating all these tremors, but why can't anyone else feel it but me and Drift?_ Shelly thought.

"Um, would it be possible for the cube to somehow create messages with the runes? Or at least display messages?"

"The cube did sort of show runes and transcripts that I could read, but I would sometimes get flashes of random runes when she was about to visit and..." Her eyes suddenly began to glow and she stood up rigidly.

"Are you ok?"

"I said too much. You both need to leave now." Dark Bomber whispered.

"Woah, what's happening here?" Drift stood up and tried to gently push her back on a chair.

"No. She knows, I must leave. I have to leave now, take the book and go!" She disappeared in a puff of violet smoke, leaving behind a musty book with thin, golden writing scrawled across the cover.

"What was that about?" Shelly slowly said.

"I have no clue." He reached for the books and dusted it off. "I guess this is a book about runes because I can't understand most of this, so I think this is the one." They each took a turn to examine all the cover, and finally stepped back out into the morning air.

"Out of curiosity, do you know Dark Bomber well?"

"Well, I have spent a fair amount of time with her because she and Bright Bomber are pretty connected and we...you know..."

"Oh. Um, yeah. I get it."

"It's fine. I guess we're good enough friends to talk about stuff like this."

"Friends..."

"Hm?"

"Nothing. I just trailed off. But if you don't mind, can ask you a question about Bright Bomber?"

"Sure."

"Are you two still...dating?"

"No. We broke up not too long ago."

"We don't have to talk about it if it's a sensitive subject."

"That's ok. I might as well get the story straight, not like any magazine or talk show has." They both laughed a bit, then Drift took a deep breath and began. "We didn't break up because one of us was cheating. Never, in a million years. It wasn't being petty or because we didn't like each other's friends. We...we decided that our feelings had changed from when we first went out. She liked someone else, I wanted some freedom, we both decided to be friends instead. That's it." They walked in silence until Shelly got into her ATK.

"Look, Drift, I'm always ready to listen. This is a no-judgment zone, so you can tell me anything."

"Thanks. I'll return the favor, you can vent to me too. I'll listen. Don't forget to bring the book next meeting! Later!"

"Bye!" She wedged the book into the seat next to her, and strapped on the seat belt just in case. After a slow drive back to Salty Springs with a quick stop at Retail Row for food, Shelly finally got home at plopped down on her bed. She pushed the book over to her nightstand and thought about the day, from Dark Bomber's disappearance to Drift's conversation. _We both said that we could tell each other anything. I would be understanding, and you would listen no matter what. I know you'll listen to what I say, but will you accept it? If I give you my heart, all my feelings, will you accept it?_


End file.
